The Nutrient: Birth defects, artificial sweeteners, squats, and a bull moose

Research

Preconception Antidiabetic Drugs in Men and Birth Defects in Offspring : A Nationwide Cohort Study - PubMed

National Institutes of Health.

PubMedMaarten J Wensink

"Preconception paternal metformin treatment is associated with major birth defects, particularly genital birth defects in boys."

Metformin is the 4th most commonly prescribed drug in the US. True, it's an effective drug for diabetes, but if you're a guy trying to have kids then you should pay attention to this data and consider avoiding the medication for a few months before trying to conceive. For those of us not on the drug, this study is a reminder of the importance of a healthy lifestyle three months before conception which is the time it takes sperm to mature. Also, the guidelines around medications like this won't be changed anytime soon, which is a reminder of why it's important to do your own research and be an active participant in your health.

Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study

Charlotte Debras and colleagues investigate investigate associations between artificial sweetener intakes and cancer risk in adults from a French population-based cohort.

PLOS MedicineCharlotte Debras ,

"In this large cohort study, artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame and acesulfame-K), which are used in many food and beverage brands worldwide, were associated with increased cancer risk. These findings provide important and novel insights for the ongoing re-evaluation of food additive sweeteners by the European Food Safety Authority and other health agencies globally."

The great debate is whether these substances are better for you than sugar. It would be convenient to get the sweetness without the calories or blood sugar swings, but this research suggests there's no free dessert when it comes to sweeteners.

News

Dogs may be better at detecting Covid-19 than nasal PCR tests, study finds

Trained canines detected Covid in 97% of symptomatic cases and nearly 100% of asymptomatic cases

The GuardianGloria Oladipo

Article

The Power of the Squat

It’s the one exercise most of us should be doing. But we need to do it right.

NYTimesBy

"In essence, according to a 2014 scientific overview, squats are “one of the most primal and critical fundamental movements necessary to improve sport performance, to reduce injury risk and to support lifelong physical activity.”

If done correctly, a squat recruits over 200 upper and lower body muscles to work synergistically. I'm still sore from the 300 I did on Monday's Murph challenge.

Quote of the week

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose." –Teddy Roosevelt

Read about Roosevelt and resilience in my new article (it's free this week).